The Springvale Football Club was formed in 1903 just after the turn of the century. The Club first started playing in the Mulgrave Football Association and in 1911 The Club transferred to The Berwick District Football Association where it won it's first premiership.
The Club moved playing in 1915, from behind the Post Office in the main street to a new ground in Newcomen Road, purchased through the Springvale Recreation Ground Trust on behalf of local businessman for the Club. It grew to be a very successful club as the town of Springvale flourished in the first half of the century. With Premierships in 1920, 1921, 1930, 1932 and 1933 the Club was renowned as the premier football team in the district.
Through a strong and ongoing relationship with the Springvale RSL the club gained access to the land where the now Grandstand is located, and with support of local council the current grandstand was built in 1934. The land was donated to the Springvale Recreation Trust trust by the War Service Department.
The Club were Premiers in 1939, just as the Second World War was about to start, and some of the first soldiers enlisted from Springvale came from the 1939 Premiership team.
The town of Springvale again flourished after the end of the War and many new War Service homes were built in Springvale , and many new young families began to settle in Springvale. After the Second World War the club started to regain its level of success and transferred to the Federal League after winning the 1956 Premiership in the Caulfield Oakleigh District Football League. Lead by Progressive committees and a strong success ethic, the Club became "The Powerhouse" of the Federal League. It had a spree of premierships in the 60's and 70's dominating the Federal League and only finishing out of the finals twice in the 25 years.
In 1982 the club entered the VFA playing in Second Division. This was the vision of a new era, and the spreading of our Football Roots to take on the best the Metropolitan area of Melbourne could offer.
After its second year in the Competition the Club defeated Brunswick , one of the traditional long serving Clubs in the VFA and won the 1983 Premiership. The Club entered First Division in 1984 and commenced a program that followed a youth policy and developed many young players from our local south eastern suburbs around Springvale..
In 1987 it recruited Phil Maylin from Footscray and as captain/coach he took the club to its first ever VFA Premiership. The Club defeated the team always seen as the team of the VFA "Pt Melbourne" in the 1987 Grand Final. The Club continued to be a consistent finals campaigner since 1987 .
In the 90's the VFA underwent consolidation with a number of Clubs leaving the competition. Another youth policy was adopted, in the early nineties, and by 1995 the side had developed into an outstanding combination that went throughout the 1995 season losing only one game and taking the 1995 premiership in both the seniors and reserves. It repeated that performance by winning the 1996 premiership and once again in 1998 and 1999 repeating the back to back double to finish the millennium. The Club had become the most outstanding Football team in the now Victorian Football League.
The club has won five first division premierships and one second division since entering the VFA/VFL and is the most successful club of its era and the most outstanding team of the 90's in the VFL.
The club has now entered the revamped and new VFL Statewide Football competition and is looking to the future to again have a developing side that will grow with the culture of success that the club has achieved.
The new Century still sees the Club with a vision to be the best Football team in the highest level of Football we can aspire to and play in.
The Club was founded at the turn of the Century in the Springvale Hotel, on the Bullock run to Dandenong. From early beginnings in the Mulgrave Football Association, the Club grew through the Twentieth Century with the spirit, drive and vision of its players, committees, members and supporters to become the most successful team in the second highest level of Football in Australia. A testament to all who have been involved with this most outstanding Football Club.
For the Springvale Football Club the Twentieth Century was certainly " A Century of Success".
Last Modified on 01/08/2003 15:41
